Recap: How to get funding to help pay for the development of your business website

At the Aug 13 MLKBA business mixer at Joy Palace, MLKBA board member Franklin Chau and RVCDF business case manager Jennifer Tam presented on “How to get funding to help pay for the development of business website”

Here are key points from the presentation:

-The importance of businesses having a web presence. Although a website can be expensive to build, the power of having an online presence can’t be underestimated when so many people today turn to their phones, tablets, and computers to find information about businesses before they patronize them.
-A simple web page helps put a business on the map and can allow a business to reach a broader audience of prospective customers and people who are interested in learning about what types of businesses are in a particular neighborhood.
-A website doesn’t have to be complicated, it can be as simple as having some photos of your business, contact information, location, hours, menu of services or food, pricing, and a brief story about the business.
-98118 in particular is so incredibly rich with different cultures from all around the world, businesses who have a web presence can help show case the diversity in the community.
-Social media also plays an important role in connecting with customers and potential customers.
-Yelp – before going to restaurants, many people today go to Yelp before patronizing a restaurant. Restaurant owners who claim their Yelp page have more control over the information that is being presented and have an opportunity to respond to customers who patronize their business.
-Since Rainier Restaurant & BBQ’s release of their new website, they’ve received business from new customers and they’ve been able to direct people to their website to find more information about their menu items.

MLKBA members located between Othello St. and Graham St. along Martin Luther King Way South are eligible to apply for funding to subsidize the development of your website. Funding ends in 2014. To apply, email Wayne Lau .